Trailers are an under-appreciated art form insofar that many times they’re seen as vehicles for showing footage, explaining films away, or showing their hand about what moviegoers can expect. Foreign, domestic, independent, big budget: What better way to hone your skills as a thoughtful moviegoer than by deconstructing these little pieces of advertising? This week we get a personal glimpse into murder, sit through the longest excruciatingly awful trailer so you don’t have to, watch an actor at the top of their craft, marvel at one of the best events you won’t be able to attend, and man the grill as we look at the history of roasting meats over a flame.Read More »

The Founder doesn’t resemble the often feel-good stories of some of John Lee Hancock‘s previous films, such as Saving Mr. Banks, The Rookie, or The Blind Side. At the end of the day, this is a story of the good guys losing. Depending on who you ask, there’s little that’s inspiring about Ray Kroc’s (Michael Keaton) success story.

The Founder is a biopic that doesn’t champion, idolize, or demonize its subject; it’s a warts-and-all portrait of an unimaginative but ambitious (or greedy) man with a hunger for success. He achieved the American dream by destroying Dick (Nick Offerman) and Mac McDonald’s (John Carroll Lynch) dream. They’re the heroes of the story — always pure in their intentions — but they don’t come out on top.

In one thrilling sequence, Mac explains how McDonald’s got started over dinner. It’s a lengthy, dialogue-heavy scene that communicates history and backstory, helps strengthen Dick and Mac’s loving relationship, and moves along at such a fast pace. This scene, which was written by Robert D. Siegel (The Wrestler), is where we began our recent conversation with Hancock.

The last film by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, I Love You, Phillip Morris, took quite a winding path to get to theaters in the US. But their follow-up, a romantic comedy called Crazy, Stupid, Love, was made with Warner Bros. and is already set to release this summer. The film stars Steve Carell as a 40-something guy whose relationship with his wife (Julianne Moore) disintegrates, leading him to seek image rehab advice from lothario Ryan Gosling.

The trailer is out now, and it lurks just after the break. Read More »